Mark Gastineau and Brett Favre
Mark Gastineau and Brett Favre
Getty Image
In 2002, Michael Strahan broke the NFL record for the most sacks recorded in a single season with a little bit of help from Brett Favre. That mark had previously been set by former Jets DE Mark Gastineau, and he’s apparently still salty about the manner in which it was surpassed based on what he had to say when he confronted the retired Packers QB.
The NFL didn’t start recording sacks as an official stat until 1982, and two years later, Mark Gastineau—one of the four Jets linemen who comprised the formidable front dubbed the “New York Sack Exchange”—set the bar with the 22 he recorded during the 16 games the team played that season.
Notable names including Reggie White, Chris Doleman, and Lawrence Taylor came close to surpassing that total in the years that followed, but it remained the mark to beat until Michael Strahan finished with a grand total of 22.5 after breaking Gastineau’s record when the Giants capped off the regular season against the Packers on January 6, 2002.
However, there were understandably plenty of people who questioned the legitimacy of the new number based on the nature of the sack in question, as all Strahan had to do was lay his hands on Brett Favre as he fell to the ground on a play plenty of people thought was designed to help him set the record (a theory fueled by the fact that the QB was seen congratulating him afterward).
T.J. Watt tied Strahan’s record in 2021 despite only playing 15 of the 17 games on the Steelers schedule, which means there’s really no about the legitimacy of the 22.5 figure as a whole despite the cloud hanging over the latter’s achievement.
However, Gastineau previously argued the NFL had a duty to give back the record he thinks should have remained rightfully his, and he was not shy about giving Favre a piece of his mind during a confrontation that ended up in The New York Sack Exchange, the documentary that serves as the latest installment in the 30 For 30 franchise.
22 years after losing the NFL single-season sack record, Mark Gastineau confronted Brett Favre for ‘taking a dive’ on the record-breaking play.
Catch the latest @30for30, ‘The New York Sack Exchange,’ on ESPN and ESPN+ starting Dec. 13. pic.twitter.com/Oz5KRwVcy7
— ESPN (@espn) December 10, 2024
The incredibly awkward exchange transpired at a memorabilia show where Gastineau gave Favre a piece of his mind while repeatedly saying “You hurt me” and asserting he took a dive as the retired QB attempted to brush him off before getting back to signing helmets.
It’s unclear if the documentary addresses the Watt aspect that essentially makes the argument a moot point, but it’s very clear Gastineau (who has previously revealed he’s battling dementia, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s he believes stems from his football career) is still holding the grudge.